Titanium
by GhostlyMayhem
Summary: He'd always be the one who followed behind the group. The one who was ignored. The one who was laughed at. The one who was used. The one who was ditched by the others. He'd always be that one. Dag-centric one-shot. Why? Because he's my favorite. :P


**...**

**Titanium**

_'You shoot me down,_  
_But I want fall._  
_I am titanium...'_

_- "Titanium", David Guetta & Sia_

**...**

He didn't realize how much he loathed groups.

Groups of anyone, really. Groups of more than three people always irritated him. The lack of acknowledgement from others, as though he weren't there... it was just another reminder of everything he basically wasn't. Someone he'd _never_ be. But Daggett was used to this. It always happened. At least, he _should_ have been used to this.

He couldn't stand it any longer; seeing Norbert, as usual, surrounded by their _'friends'_. Now when Dag thought about it, the other animals were more so Norb's friend's than his. Because compared to Dag, Norb fit the criteria of someone that everyone would want to follow with loyalty. Norb was popular, hip and cool. Exactly someone others would like simply for those superficial reasons alone. Exactly someone that Dag _wasn't._ Someone he would never be. Popular and cool, with the world and it's people in the palm of his hand...

Never. It would never happen.

If it didn't change back then, why would the future be any different? Dag shook his head. No, it wouldn't change. He'd always be the one who followed _behind_ the group. The one who was ignored. The one who was laughed at. The one who was used. The one who was ditched by the others. He'd always be that _one._

That _one:_ The unpopular, lame one. Brother of the most popular animal in the forest. _"How are they even related?"_ he had heard some of them whisper, more than on one occasion. _"They're completely different."_

He'd try to speak to the others. He'd try his hardest to fit in, to be as bubbly, outgoing and cool as Norb. Alas, it never worked. They would never give him a chance to at least show he was worthy of their friendship, because he wanted as many friend's as Norb had. He hated seeming like a loner who simply trailed behind the group. The outcast. The loser.

However, it never bothered Dag before. He was completely oblivious to the feeling of loneliness that slowly, over the years, built up inside. As he grew older and began to understand just how unfair the world really was... It was then, recently, that the pain, -their whispers, their hurtful words and glares-, finally caught up to him full-force.

He was lonely. And he hated it.

There wasn't much anger associated with the feeling that seemed to stab a deeper wound in him than any knife could make. Dag simply felt hurt, as one should.

That day was as beautiful as it always was, with the sun set high in the blue sky, smiling down at the forest green and the animals who lived there. It was a lovely day, yet Dag sat there against a hollow tree, watching in the distance as the group of other animals and Norb talked and chatted with each other. Everyone joked and laughed, happy and without a care in the world, unaware of the lone brown beaver watching them. They knew he was there, but didn't seem to care. After all, in their eyes, it was just_ Dag._ And Dag didn't matter.

Dag sighed, turning away from the sight that made his throat tighten painfully. He looked down at the dirt at his feet and stuck his finger into the ground. Slowly, he began to draw in the dirt. Random drawings, really, but it didn't matter. He focused solely on the random scribbles being drawn in the dirt to keep his mind off the searing pain that gripped his throat and stung his eyes, threatening to release itself.

He thought long and hard, more than he ever had before in his entire life. Why did it bother him so much? He was used to it, after all. It never bothered him before... He used to be able to brush it off. Now, he couldn't shake the aching feeling.

But maybe, _maybe_, it shouldn't matter. Dag glanced up from his quiet work, glowering at the other animals. _Who cares about those spoot-heads anyway? They don't matter. It's not like they like Norb for any other reason... They only like him because he's cool._

That was it. They didn't like Norb for any other reason but for the fact he looked and acted a certain way. Suddenly it dawned on Dag: the reason for Norb's obsession with looking cool. Being cool made easy friends. Now when he thought about it, being cool seemed to be everyone's priority these days... Everyone but Dag, of course. He was simply Daggett Beaver: The goofy, dim-witted and clumsy brown beaver. He would never attain the high status that Norb had, and he didn't hold it against his brother. After all, they were brothers, and in Dag's eyes Norb would always be the older brother who looked out for his well-being and took care of him. No amount of superficial-hungry animals could change that.

Dag glanced back down at the scribbles he had made in the dirt. He swiped his paw over the scribbles, erasing them completely. He stuck his finger in the ground once again, only this time he didn't draw just _anything._ This time he _wrote_ into the dirt three words that came to mind. Three words that blended together so precisely and so perfectly that they formed a single statement. He carefully wrote out the three words that, put together, held a lot of meaning:

_I am titanium._

* * *

**A/N: Wrote this because I've been really depressed in school lately. It's been a problem since the 7th grade, one that's caused me so much pain for the last five years: How I'm the outcast. Everyone in school, especially now in high school were popularity is at it's highest and most deadly form. I'm so... lonely. Especially in school. I only have two close friends but none of us have any classes this year. At all. And everyone in all my classes seem to have friends. Everyone seems to be in one giant group of friends except me. I'm the outcast. They talk and laugh and I'm ignored and left to simply hang my head at my desk feeling pathetic and lonely.**

**Like a loner.**

**I've always hated group projects. Especially recently. There's always a mean cheerleader or jock in my group that try to force me to be the note taker or the one to present so they can chat with their friend's while I do all the work. It's a fucking miracle I'm able to say 'no'.**

**I've always hated teenagers. Let me rephrase that: I've always hated mainstream teenagers. The rich girls with lots of makeup and skimpy clothes and the sex-hungry boys who listen to rap. I've always been scared of those teens, even when I was in elementary school. I've actually had nightmares about them. My fear is being bullied. I especially have an extreme case of social phobia. And who are the most common bully? Rich, popular girls and jocks (basically half the school). Why? Because I have such a bad depression that any little thing might set me off and I might end up... Doing something drastic. Like suicide. Hence why bullying is a fear of mine.**

**What I found annoying is how all the boys talk to the girls with blonde streaks, heavy makeup and skimpy clothes like super short-shorts and such. Yet I'm not even given a second glance. I'm not interested in dating, at all, but my mom wonders why I don't have a boyfriend and I'm to embarrassed to tell her why: because the boys won't give me a chance because I don't straighten my hair or wear heavy makeup or skimpy clothes. I actually respect my body, unlike most mainstream teenage girls. I won't change for anyone.**

**Anyway, I found that Dag and I have the same situation, in a sense... I've seen every episode of TAB recently and I love the show just as much as IZ... And I noticed how Dag is treated the same way in the forest by the other animals. He's unique because he's not like everyone else. He's clumsy, slow and goofy. I'm quiet and don't dress like other girls. This makes us targets for ridicule. Dag because he's so much opposite compared to Norb and me because I don't appear like other girls. And I'm quiet and painfully shy (and I've been bullied for that before).**

**Bottom line, Dag and I are both different, and people don't like different. They think it's weird and bully anyone who is deemed 'weird'. So the inspiration for this was born. Hence why I love Lady Gaga: she stands up for kids like me. The outcasts, the bullied... She is a major representative for outcasts like myself because she personally knows what it's like to be bullied. And so do I.**

**"Titanium" is a great song that obviously fits this one-shot a lot, though I would recommend listening to Madilyn Bailey's version while reading this because her's is much more bittersweet in tone. It makes the lyrics stand out more. "Breathe Me" by Sia would be another relate-able song to listen to while reading this one-shot.**

**Anyway, please review if you liked this. It would make my day. :)**


End file.
